Food&Drink

It is SEEN’s observation that Soho, despite much harrumphing about corporate gentrification and rent hikes, is still a district of many moods. The sex shops still lurk here and there, the clubs and pubs spill out onto the pavement, people still drink their pints in the middle of the road in the summer (what IS …

Gregory Marchand has nothing short of passion for good food. He has travelled extensively, working at the Savoy, Mandarin Oriental and Gordon Ramsay’s finally gaining the nickname ‘Frenchie’ whilst at Fifteen.

SEEN has been very heartened by how Londoners – citizen and visitor alike – have embraced gin as their drink of choice. Indeed the summer has been awash with this most excellent beverage (so emblematic of London), and autumn shows no sign of letting up. Thus it is that Gerry Calabrese, famed mixologist and owner of the excellent Wringer and Mangle, has concocted some delightful recipes.

Head up to Soho and enjoy Spanish tapas at Brindisa. This casual and friendly restaurant selects high quality food from Spain to create modern and traditional tapas that Londoners can try along with a wide selection of Spanish wines.

George Bernard Shaw once said: ‘there is no sincerer love than the love of food.’ SEEN agrees that eating good food is such a pleasure that she has learned to starve herself for a good 18 hours prior to dining at Hatchetts in Shepherd Market. That way she can sincerely love their sumptuous food to the full. As ever, it’s the details that impress at Hatchetts: The friendly and attentive staff, the unpretentious ambience, but above all, well-cooked food that very sensibly, Hatchetts allows to speak for itself.

SEEN loves beautiful restaurants, and German Gymnasium is at the top of our must-be-seen list. It’s not only us who think it’s a stunning place; it has just been crowned as the Best Overall Restaurant by the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards. Located right in the heart of vibrant King’s Cross close to King’s Cross, St Pancras, and its exit to Regent’s Canal, it occupies a Grade II listed Victorian building that was built for the German Gymnastics’ Society in 1865.

Launched in July 2016, Bronte is busy serving up fresh, modern dishes from breakfast to dinner. Located on the Strand overlooking iconic Trafalgar Square, Bronte is within a beautiful Regency building, which has an impressive Portland stone façade, traditional colonnade terrace and two-storey arched windows. Inside, Tom Dixon and his talented Design Research Studio team have designed a glamorous and inviting space.

Where the Pancakes Are has just opened its first ever bricks and mortar restaurant in London, serving, of course, SEEN’s personal favourite, divine pancakes. It is conveniently located in Flat Iron Square, London Bridge’s emerging hub for indie food & music.

Regular readers of SEEN will be unsurprised to learn how much we like our chocolate. So, imagine our delight when we learned about Mast’s new City Collections. Created as a love letters, the collections pay homage to the communities surrounding each of its flagship factories in London, Brooklyn and Los Angeles. MAST is committed to being a part of these locales, making chocolate onsite for its residents. “These collections are a giving of thanks, a love song to the places we call home,” said Rick Mast.

Devotees of fine Italian dining and superb architecture will find both passions well sated at the fascinating Fucina, owned by restaurateur Kurt Zdesar. The restaurant makes the most of delicious organic produce transformed into cuisine with an artisanal touch; aspirations reflected in the extraordinary architecture created by the award-winning AMA, no strangers to the creation of top restaurants.